Lessons
by keelhaulrose
Summary: They say dancing is one of the easiest ways to fall in love with someone, and Edward has been giving Hermione dancing lessons for months.


**A/N: In the exchange I wrote 'the Unspoken Connection' for I did a pinch-hit for sarah_jones, so this is the one-shot that came from that.**

**Thanks to my beta, Maria Binger, who also ran the exchange.**

**As always, I am not JKR or Stephanie Meyer nor am I any of their publishing/film/marketing affiliates. I do not own anything, I do not profit.**

**Enjoy!**

"Oh!" she gasped as the tall heel slipped out from under her ankle, sending her tumbling towards the ground. Before she made contact, however, strong arms easily wrapped around her and effortlessly righted her back on her feet, not loosening until she was steady.

"Honestly," Edward chuckled, flashing a charming smile at her. "We have known each other for six months, and I have never known you to trip or fall, but get you onto a level dancing surface and you are barely able to keep your feet under you."

"It's not my fault," Hermione protested with a forced pout. "It's these bloody heels. I've never worn anything so tall. Damn your sister for insisting that I wear them with that ruddy gown she bought me."

"Consider her styling expertise as payment for saving our behinds," he shot back before rushing to the CD player to re-start the song, returning less than a second later to take one of her hands in his and plant his other hand gently on her waist.

"It's not just your family's behinds I was saving. That bill would have declared open season on vampires. I merely pointed out that vampires like you and Carlisle, who were doing more good than harm, would be included in that number."

"I've heard it all before," he said, gently leading her in the slow waltz. "And I am sure you have heard our thanks at least a dozen times."

"It was nothing," she blushed as he spun her. "Besides, since doing it, you all have been so kind to me. Even if it is dancing lessons in ridiculously high-heeled shoes."

"Perhaps she just felt as though you needed a little more height as to not look so short next to Ron," he smirked.

Her feet paused, but he easily adapted as to not send her tumbling again. As she tried to catch up her face visibly soured. "That's not something she need concern herself about anymore."

Now it was his turn for his feet to pause, though he recovered so quickly she didn't notice. "What happened?"

The lesson was forgotten as she dropped her hands and hugged herself, eyes distant. "Ron and I have been having relationship problems for a while now. We were working on it for the longest time, but I guess it was just one of those things that was broken beyond repair. Possibly even from the start, I don't know. You ever hear of people in a relationship where they love each other, but they just can't work?"

"Forcing things is no way to keep a relationship going," he murmured.

"Anyways we have been fighting off and on for months, but kept it away from everyone. It's no one's problems. And I guess our..." she trailed off, blushing, before whispering, "love... life has been virtually non-existant over the past few months. And I found out the hard way that Ron had difficulty giving that aspect of our relationship up. And since he was not getting it from me, he went elsewhere."

"He had an affair?"

"He went to a professional," she breathed, fighting a tear that was threatening to fall.

Unable to think of soothing words he stepped forward to place his arms around her, lifting her and setting her back down on a bench pressed against one side of the room.

"Apparently she's good. He drained a good portion of the money we set aside for our wedding visiting her several times."

"He's a fool," Edward assured her.

"Be that as it may he has since moved back into his Mum's house, until such a time as he can find his own place. I can work through our other problems, but I can't forgive that. The first time he went to see her was two weeks after the last time we had... you know. I can't think that he would do that to me if I had to leave on business or, heaven forbid, if we had children and I didn't feel up to it."

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Thanks," she whispered back.

"What's that mean for the ball?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure. I'm still deciding if I want to go or not. No one but our families and closest friends know just yet. I'm just worried that if I show up I'll be humiliated."

"Why would you be humiliated? He's the one who looks like the jerk."

"Because I couldn't keep my relationship together. Because everyone was looking forward to our wedding in four months. Because he's showing up with some tart he met at a Quidditch game and I don't have a date... take your pick," she said bitterly.

He looked deep into her eyes and took one of her hands. "I didn't mean to be insensitive. I meant that you did nothing wrong, you have no reason to feel shamed. Relationships take work on both sides, and it sounds as though as soon as there was some work to be done he ran."

"I can't blame it all on him. I wanted things between us to be as good as everyone thought it was, and I guess I didn't work on it as hard as I should have, either."

"Do you want him back?"

Her eyes fluttered closed as she thought about it for a moment. "No," she replied softly. "This is probably for the best. If we get back together it would probably be great for a while, then things would get back to normal and neither of us would be truly happy."

His arms wrapped tenderly around her as the tears she had been fighting won and started falling. They stood in the middle of the dance floor, ignoring the notes still filling the room, until she regained her composure.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, stepping back and wiping at her eyes. "I know this doesn't really concern you. You came here to teach me how to dance, not to be my therapist."

"Sometimes all you need is a friend," he said with an awkward smile.

"Yeah," she replied, biting her lip. "I guess I'm not in the mood to keep going tonight."

"Would you like to reschedule for tomorrow night?"

She considered him for a moment. "Sure. Thank you, Edward."

"Anytime," he smiled as she summoned her bag and Apparated away.

XXXXXX

"These bloody shoes!" she hissed as Edward saved her from falling one more time. Two weeks had passed and while she had mastered the waltz Edward had invited her to start working on the more difficult tango, and she was having trouble tripping over the shoes again.

"I've argued the cause with Alice, but she is quite stubborn," Edward chuckled. "She thinks you look quite stunning in the ensemble."

"And I am ready to place a vanishing spell on these shoes. I threatened, but she said she could get a many pairs as needed to assure I wear them next Saturday."

"Sometimes the tinier something is, the more annoying they can be," he smirked.

"I'd say that was the truth in your family, but the largest member isn't much less irritating," she beamed back.

"You certainly have that right," he laughed before taking her waist and spinning her so she was facing the full-length mirror covering one side of the room. "Now, we have five minutes left before your self-imposed quitting time. What do you want to work on?"

"My aching feet," she sighed as she slipped the shoes off and kicked them haphazardly across the room. "Not all of us can wear things like these and be comfortable. And I swear, I'm a much better dancer without those crazy things on."

Without warning he took her and dipped her low. "Prove it," he purred.

As an answer she took out her wand and flicked it towards the radio, starting the song again. His eyes bore deep into hers as he pulled her back up, wrapping her arms around him before placing his own hands on hers. Without breaking eye contact he started moving, and her feet moved instinctively with his. He swept her around the room, occasionally stopping and spinning her. She moved her hips with the music, dancing away from him, then beckoning him to her. For several minutes he moved her, their bodies usually no more than inches apart, occasionally pressed against each other as she wrapped a leg around his waist. When the song ended he was holding her, pressed to his body, their eyes locked, her lips slightly parted as she looked up at him. Her chest pressed against his as she panted, one hand clutching the shirt at his back, the other absentmindedly running her fingers along the length of his as he seemed unwilling to break their connection. Unconsciously his head started to dip towards hers.

"I need to go," she whispered, untangling herself and taking a few steps back, still unable to look away from his eyes.

"Of course," he replied in a murmur.

"I'll, um, I'll see you on Wednesday," she finally broke their gaze with a fierce blush, gathering the discarded shoes from the floor.

"I look forward to it," he nodded.

"Yeah. Wednesday," she repeated blandly, hurrying for her bag.

"Hermione?" he called as she was about to Apparate away.

"Yes, Edward?" she turned towards him.

"Thank you for the dance. You are much better without the shoes."

Her blush grew, and she nodded for a loss of words. With one last awkward smile she was gone.

XXXX

"You seem to be doing a lot better in those things," Edward noted as he and Hermione bowed to each other, signaling the end of their dance and their latest lesson.

"I figured if Alice is going to all but glue them onto my feet I might as well do my best to get used to them, so I've been wearing them around the house," Hermione replied, slipping the offending shoes off and changing into her more sensible pair of flats.

"The dance is in three days," he said, watching her gather her things. "Have you made a decision?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I decided I'm going to go. My breakup is going to come out anyways, and I feel like I'm in a good place with it. If I don't show there's going to be talk that I'm not handling it well, and I don't want that."

His face distorted into a scowl. "You shouldn't go because you're afraid of what the press might think."

"I'm not afraid. I want to go. It's the three-year anniversary of Voldemort's defeat, and for the first time we're feeling like it shouldn't just be a somber, mourning event. We can have a little fun... dance, smile, laugh... celebrate love and friendship instead of celebrating lives lost."

The scowl had disappeared, replaced by a genuine smile. "That does seem like a good reason to go. Do you want one more lesson before you go?"

"No, I think I'm good with that aspect. But..." she took a deep breath and suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I was wondering, and feel free to say no, but, um, would you like to maybe go with me to ball?"

He looked torn. "If you're worried about what the press might think, it might not be the best idea to arrive on the arm of a vampire."

"I don't give a damn what they think about me showing up with you. Merlin knows they'll probably think it's some kind of reason why I opposed the vampire bill. But this year we're celebrating love and friendship, and you're my friend. And we'd be going as just friends, you know?"

A wide smile flashed across his face. "I would love to accompany you, Hermione."

"Cool, er, I mean good. Thank you."

"Would you like me to be at your flat at seven thirty? I don't know your plans for getting there."

"Yeah. Seven thirty sounds great," she nodded vigorously.

"I'll see you then."

"Yeah. See you then," she nodded before Disapparating.

"Oh, Edward!" Alice's musical voice preceded her into the room. She was carrying a garment bag with a smug look on her face. "Thought you might be needing this," she said, holding the bag out to him with a sweet smile.

With a suspicious look he unzipped a corner to reveal a tux complete with a green vest and tie. "I should have known," he grumbled.

"You'll have fun," she chirped before turning to leave.

"Alice, have you seen anything about...?" he started.

"I'm not telling!" she replied in a singsong voice as she started conjugating Latin verbs in her head as she disappeared back through the door.

"Annoying little pixie," he smirked, zipping the bag back up carefully, trying to picture exactly what Hermione was going to wear that would match the green vest- the same green his human eyes had been.

XXXXXXXX

At seven-thirty on the dot Edward went to hit the buzzer to Hermione's flat, but it buzzed before his finger could reach.

"Alice," he chuckled, shaking his head as he walked in. A short elevator ride later he was stepping to the door of Hermione's penthouse flat.

"It's open!" his sister's singsong voice called. He entered, smiling as he saw Crookshanks look up at him, wrinkle his smashed-in looking nose, then lay his head back down. Music was playing from a room down the hall, and he could hear Alice doing some last-second preparations. Without asking he went to the kitchen where Alice had laid out a vase for the bouquet of roses he was holding. He had just finished placing the flowers on a table by her mirror when his sister appeared.

"Wait until you see her," Alice chirped excitedly, coming behind him and clamping her hands over his eyes. "Come on out, 'Mione!"

There was the soft sound of heels clicking on the hardwood floor, and a moment later Alice lowered her hands so her brother could see his date.

"Wow," Edward breathed as he caught a look at the fitted, off the shoulder emerald dress Hermione was wearing, with just a peek of the shoes she had been complaining about for weeks showing underneath. Alice had pulled her hair into a messy, yet controlled updo, and accented the look with large emerald earrings. There was a hint of makeup on her face, but nothing that was too obvious or that took away from her natural beauty.

"Do you like it?" Hermione asked, turning slowly so he could take everything in, hoping she was distracting him from the blush that was creeping across her face at his longing gaze.

"You look exquisite," he nodded, stepping forward and offering his hand.

"You seem to clean up nicely yourself," she said, taking the proffered hand. He guided her to him, their eyes locking once again, and he brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

There was a few moments of silence, finally broken by, "Cinderella, you best be getting to the ball or it'll be midnight before you know it. You should go, too, Hermione."

Hermione blushed again and giggled. "I should probably help..."

"Go, go," Alice urged. "I'll clean the mess, log the books I'm borrowing from you, and even lock up as I leave."

"Thank you so much for everything."

"Thank me later. Go. Your driver is waiting."

"Yes, boss," Edward said with a mock-salute. He led Hermione out of the room, to the elevator, and out the front door where a Ministry car was waiting for them. He held the door and helped her in, then slid in next to her.

"I thought the car would be more comfortable for you," Hermione said as they sped towards their destination, an innocent-looking office building nestled above the Ministry of Magic in London.

"Thank you. Any last-minute pointers before we get there?" he asked.

"Not really. I'm kind of planning on just walking past the press. They'll take pictures, but I'm in no mood to answer their questions."

"It sounds like you have everything figured out."

"Yeah. Sounds like," she muttered, staring out the window.

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," she flashed him a smile. They made pleasant chat for the rest of the short ride, and before they knew it they were pulling up in front of the building. Two black-suited wizards were standing outside as a security detail. Edward helped her out of the car, and they walked to the door where the two wizards took one look at Hermione and opened the door for her.

"Miss Granger, Miss Granger!" came the shout from several different reporters who were lying in wait just on the other side of the door. Edward did his best to block her from the floating cameras that were snapping away as he hurried her towards the next set of doors as the reporters tried to introduce themselves, say which publication they were from, and ask her questions about everything from her dress to her date.

"Is this why you so strongly opposed the Vampire Restrictions Act? Because you're seeing one?" a perky blonde witch from Witch Weekly asked.

Hermione sighed and paused. "Edward and I are good friends, because of our joint work on that bill. He is here as my guest, nothing more."

"Well then, care to explain what happened to you and Ron? He came in earlier with quite the pretty young thing on his arm," she asked, and several of the reporters leaned in, Quick Quotes Quills at the ready.

"That's none of your business," she snapped. Without a word Edward grabbed her arm and pulled her through the next set of doors. They walked down a short hallway towards a room filled with music and polite conversation. Hermione paused to straighten her dress before they walked in, and were almost immediately spotted by her best female friend.

"Hermione!" Ginny waved them over, a grin spreading across her face.

Harry, who was standing next to his bride-to-be, turned around, but his eyes slipped right past Hermione shooting back to her, looking surprised. "Oh, my God, Hermione. You look great!" he said, slacked-jawed as she approached their table and gave Ginny a quick hug in greeting.

"Are you saying she doesn't look great the rest of the time?" Ginny asked him, hands on her hips.

"I am going to shut up now, because I can never say anything right about female appearances," Harry mimed zipping his lips.

"Oh, no, your reaction to my dress was quite appropriate, though if I remember correctly there wasn't many words involved," she smirked.

"For the sake of this not getting weird..." Hermione interrupted loudly as Harry flushed bright red. "Have I introduced you to Edward Cullen?"

"No, but feel free," Ginny beamed.

"Ginny, Harry, this is Edward. Edward, this is my best friend Harry Potter and his fiancée Ginny Weasley, and if you remember anything from Ron you'll remember that the Weasleys are not well known for filtering what they are going to say."

"It's one of our more endearing qualities," she beamed even wider.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," Edward said with a nod to each. "Hermione, would you like me to get you a drink?"

"A glass of champagne would be wonderful," Hermione gazed up at him. "Thank you."

"I'll be right back," he rubbed her arm once before asking if anyone else wanted something, then walking off.

"Well, 'Mione, you certainly got the one-up on my brother," Ginny said as she watched Edward walk off.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hermione shot back.

"I mean my brother brought some young, pretty tart, and you bring a full-on Adonis."

"I didn't bring Edward because I wanted to bring a more attractive date than him," she scoffed.

"Then why did you bring him?"

"Because he and I are friends. He helped me defeat that bill, and he's been giving me dancing lessons..." she was cut off by a smug look from her friend. "What?" she asked defensively.

"So you brought him because this is a first date," she said firmly.

"No!" she blushed brightly.

"Do you want it to be a first date?"

"Why are you so interested in my love life?"

"Because I want to see you happy, 'Mione. And it looks like he makes you happy. I thought it might be because you knew Ron would be unhappy, but now I can see it's more than that."

"Listen, I don't know what you're thinking is going on, but I think you're way off. Edward came as a good friend of mine, nothing more. It's not a date, it's not the start of something, it's two friends out at a social function together, just like if Harry and I had come together."

"Whatever you say, Hermione," she smirked as Edward reappeared, handing Hermione a glass of champagne. They sat as Minister Shacklebolt took the podium to start a slew of speeches, something Harry, Ron, and Hermione had declined to do for the second year in a row. As Ministry wizards and Hogwarts teachers made their speeches dinner was served, and Edward made sure to use pauses between speeches to offer his plate to anyone who might still be hungry. Once the speeches were over and the crowd satisfied a white-jacketed band appeared and started playing. Edward was the first person at their table on his feet.

"May I have this dance, Hermione?" he asked, extending his hand to her.

"I guess our lessons would have been a waste if I didn't expect to dance tonight," she smiled back at him, allowing him to help her out of her seat. As he led her to the dance floor she looked back at Ginny, who shot her a smug look before turning to Harry to 'suggest' he offer to dance with her as well.

"The general consensus of those speeches were 'I heard the same thing last year'," Edward announced as he took her waist and started leading her around the floor.

"They were quite similar. There's not a lot new to say. But they want to make the speeches so people might remember to throw a little funding towards the Ministry or Hogwarts if they have the means and are feeling generous."

"There's always a point to these things, aren't there?"

"It would be a much more somber experience if it were more a memorial service for those who gave their lives. And most of us have had our fill of memorial services and black clothes."

"You need to have fun," he nodded. "You have started moving on, finishing school, getting jobs... You need to celebrate the lives you can live now that that particular chapter of your lives has been closed."

"That is a nice way to put it," she nodded as he spun her away from her, then back towards him, pressing himself into her. "You and your family must be ready to get back to the states."

"Carlisle is, he wants to get back to work. But I'm not as eager as you may think."

"Really?"

"Hermione, you are the first friend I've had since my change that I can tell everything to, and that I can keep for more than a couple years. I know this sounds greedy of me, but I've been with my family for decades. I'm ready to spend some time away, around someone new, someone I can get to know on a more personal level and won't have to worry about running when my lack of aging becomes apparent. I've never had that, and now that I do I feel like I need it."

She blushed yet again. "Feel free to stay around as long as you want."

"I'm planning on it. I was going to ask if you would help me go flat-hunting next week."

"I think I could help you with that, but you'll probably have to move around the area a bit if you're planning on sticking around. I'm sure your neighbors would notice your lack of aging sooner or later."

"I guess that's why I'm lucky my new friend is a witch. You can travel so much easier than I."

"Unless you're talking about running."

He chuckled. "I guess we've all got something we're better at." They chatted about different neighborhoods Edward might want to look for flats in, advantages and disadvantages of each, whether or not he wanted to get a job or go to college, and the mechanics of moving to the city. As the songs changed he changed their dances, but she hardly noticed. She just let her feet move where he was guiding her, almost forgetting they were in the middle of a large crowd of people. Time passed quickly, and pretty soon Hermione was ready to take a rest and get another drink. Edward volunteered to retrieve another glass for her, and she started back to her table. She looked back at Edward, and accidentally bumped into someone.

"Excuse me," she said, turning quickly to see who she had ran into, and stifled a groan as she saw it was Ron, who was holding the hand of a pretty blonde witch who looked like she couldn't have been more than a month or two out of Hogwarts. "Hullo, Ronald," she muttered, biting her lip and wrapping her arms around herself.

"Hermione," he replied, mouth slightly agape as his eyes ran up and down her body. His young companion nudged him hard. "Oh, Hermione, this is Ciara. Ciara, this is Hermione Granger," he introduced them reluctantly.

"Pleasure to meet you," the blonde witch flashed a fake smile and wrapped herself around Ron, making it very plain she meant the very opposite of the words.

"How have you been?" he asked.

"Okay," Hermione nodded in response. "You?"

"I've been... good," he replied, sounding unsure of himself.

"Good," she muttered, looking around for an escape path, which presented itself in the form of Edward, who was suddenly by her side.

"Ronald," the vampire said in a half-growl.

"Edward," Ron replied, looking surprised at his sudden, hostile appearance.

"Perhaps we should go get some air," he placed a hand on Hermione's waist. Ron's jaw set as he stared at Edward's hand.

"Yes. I'd like to get some air," Hermione whispered, allowing Edward to turn her away from her ex and lead her from the room. They took a lift up to the roof, emerging into a much more intimate setting. Soft music played from somewhere, there was a bar, and several two-person tables, everything lit by overhead lights. Edward led Hermione to a secluded bench hidden behind some juniper trees where they sat knee to knee.

"Is everything okay?" she asked tentatively. "You seemed kind of... tense."

"I apologize," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I was out of line. I heard what he was thinking and I..." he looked away as he trailed off.

"What was he thinking?" she asked curiously.

He looked pained as he looked up into her eyes, but said, "He realized what a mistake he made letting you go. Seeing you standing there, looking so beautiful, reminded him why he fell for you. He was running through ways to ditch his date and beg forgiveness from you."

"Oh," she said simply, wringing her hands together. Thoughts flew through her head, running through her time with Ron, but she couldn't shake the feeling that their split had been a good thing, that it had happened for a reason. And then the thoughts quickly morphed from Ron to her time with Edward, but she quickly distracted herself focusing on running Edwards' words through her mind.

"I... don't want him back," she announced softly.

"Really?" his face visibly brightened despite the fact he managed to keep an even tone.

"If I go back to that, I resign myself to more of the same. And while I was happy, I wasn't as happy as a person who was with their soul mate should be. I need some time to find out what's right for me."

"Time," he repeated. "Time is good. Lots of things can be figured out with the proper time."

"You're acting kind of strange," she looked at him in confusion.

"Am I?"

"Yes. Like your mind is somewhere else. It's alright if it is."

His eyes met hers once again, his hand coming to rest on her leg. "Hermione, for the first time in a long time my mind is completely focused on what is going on right here, right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Please," he begged softly. "You are the most perceptive person I've ever seen. Please tell me you've seen what I've been trying to show you since damn near the moment I met you."

Her eyes slid out of focus as she ran through as many of their interactions as she could remember, finally focusing on two- their tango together, and the way he looked at her when he saw her for the first time earlier that night. She let off a small gasp of comprehension when she realized that Edward's desire for her had stretched beyond a good friend, that he, at some level, had begun to fall for her. She closed her mind from him as she took a few more seconds to process her sudden realization. He waited anxiously as she thought, eyes scanning her face in the hope of getting an idea of what she was thinking.

"Edward," she finally said in a soft and cautious voice. "You know what I have been through, and you know how I'm dealing with it right now. So..." she took a deep breath. "You know that I'll have to take this slowly. One baby step at a time and all that."

"Really?" a wide smile broke across his face.

"I like you, and I think something could grow of this, but I'm not ready to declare my undying love yet," she stopped to chuckle. "Especially since that phrase probably has a whole different connotation to you."

"It certainly does," he smirked as he took her hand. "Whatever speed you want to take this at, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep you comfortable."

"Thank you," she nodded.

"Would you like to go back downstairs?"

"Yeah. I owe Harry a dance. I'm going to prove to him that it's his footwork that sends me home with injured toes, not mine."

He chuckled as he helped her up. Hands still connected he started towards the lift, but she stayed where she was. She softly bit her lip as he turned to face her, moving close to her. Her eyes studied his as his arms wrapped around her, her hands running up his chest and coming to rest on his shoulders. Just before their lips met her eyes closed and her lips parted slightly. His lips caught hers, lingering, his arms tightening around her. Slowly their lips started to dance against each others, bodies pressing against each others, her hands clutching the fabric of the jacket on his shoulders. Together their lips parted, eyes opening to stare into the other's. They stood, holding each other for a long moment, unwilling to break their gazes.

"Downstairs?" he finally murmured.

"Yeah," she breathed. Their hands remained intertwined as they turned to head back to the ball.


End file.
